Penny Williams is an experienced former Australian senior diplomat.  She was Australian Ambassador to Indonesia from 2021 until January 2025.  Prior to that she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs. She was Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia from 2007 until 2010 and was Australia’s first Ambassador for Women and Girls.  She was awarded a Public Service medal in 2015 for outstanding public service in this position. Penny has a unique combination of deep expertise in South East Asia (particularly Indonesia) with a strong track record on organisational strategy, risk management and crisis response.

Penny is fluent in Indonesian and holds a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Honours) and a Masters of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from ANU. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Currently, Penny Williams is a Trustee of The Asia Foundation, an international non-profit development organisation focused on Asia and the Pacific.  She is also a Distinguished Advisor at ANU’s National Security College.